Automobile headlight



July 27 1926. 1,593,802

H. MGBRIDE AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT Filed May 26. 1925 Patented July 27, 1926.

HUG-H MCBRIDE, OIF CHILLIWAGK, BRITISH' GQL'U'MBfIA, CANADA.

AUTOMOBIEE HEADLIGHT.

Application filed May 26, 192,5; Serial' No. 32,975, and inl Genade, April 2'5', 1925.

This invention relates to a meansA for aiigularly moving the headlights'of an autoinobile to direct the beams downward on the' road, as when approachingl another vehicle, or to direct that of either lampoutwardf toi the roadside as may be required'.

These results are attained, not by moving each lamp body as a Whole, as isV usual,` but by moving the reflector and. its lamp, within the casing which remains stationary.

With these objects, each. reflector with its lamp is mounted within the 'lamp casingA on` pivots to have a limited movement about a' horizontal axis whereby the light beam, may be tiltedl downward on the road fronr its normal focusingL position when ap reaching another vehicle. The ring withinwhich' the reflector is so mounted is itself mounted to. turn about a vertical axis from its-` normal focusing-'position toward the side of the road.

The downward tilting lmovement ofY the light beam, when applied to the ltwo headA lights of a car, are operated' simultaneously from a single movement of the. operator, but the lateral movement' of either" light beam directed vto the' side' of.' the roadI` is separately ooerable on each light and remains therefore a separate op'eratinghandle for each lamp.

lProvision, isalso made that when the two light beams are de ressed, as' when; approaching another vehicle, either one will" be elevated' to the normal position when directed tothe roadside.

The invention is' particularly described in; the following specilication, reference being' madev to the drawings by which it is accompanied, in which: p

Fig., l is a verticali longitudinal section on. the axis oi the' lamp. f

Fig. 2, a roiitelevation.

Fig. 3, a back elevation.

Fig. 4-,a small scale plan. y

vFig. 5, an enlarged detail of the operating plunger. A

In these drawings 2 represents thecyliii-l drical casing of the. lamp,` within which the incandescent bulb l0 and itsv reflector 8' are carried within'. a removable frame. com'- posedl of two rings, a front one 3 and'bacli one 4l., rlhese rings are connect'edf together tobe parallel with 'one another by a number of distance strips 5,.

Hthin theffront ring 3 an inner rlngG' y is concentric'allyysupported,A to turn onv pivl.

is substantially The axis' ofthe lampK 1, 0 and its' reflector v 8 canthus` be moved: in, a vertical' plane on the pivots 9 and in a horizontal plane on the pijvOtS 7.

-`Asit is desirable to limit the' vertical tilt' or the .lamp 10 and its reflector 8 that its beam4 may not be angled upward beyond the normal position iequiredgfthat is,- todirect' the beam on the road' at. from seyentysv'e to one' hundred feet in front' of' the vehicle,l an angle bar 12 is secured behind" the real flector' by small bolts.- l?)i to brackets 14" secured tothe distance strips 5r oi" the lamp frame, in a position to engagethe socket 1l of' the lamp 10.' On this" b'ar 12' ijs securedv an upright 15 that will engage the lamp. socketv l1' and limit' movement. of the light beam' at the position necessary' to i`ntersect that' from the other lain at` the desireddistance in front ofthe ve icle.

lilith this4 from both' lamps may be turnedfdowiiward to the road on approaching another vehicle; the sockets 11l beingliftjed oif'the' loa-1:12, but they cannot be vturned upward beyond` the limit imposed" as .the socket 11 will be' stopped by engagement with the cross.y bar 12; Similarly, the' lamps being right and" left', the right' hand'q lamp may bei turned outward' to' theiroadside' on the right ;l the socket 11 moving; off* the upright l5,v but not inward beyond* the-focusing' position and` the left hand lain roadside on thel left but" noti -inWja'rd beyond the focusing. position, as theL socket 171" of the lamp will? be stopped against"v they up; right' 1i5'i`n each case;

To enable thelightr` beams to,l be" adjusted bothhoriz'ontal'ly and' vertically to the desired" normal focus in advance ofi the car, the"bolt'sv 1S by which the angle; bar 12- is secured to the,l brackets lli, pass throughhorizontally elongated apertures: lor in the bar 12 and. vertically elongated aperturesl 174 in the brackets-'14: This, allows off' vertical adjustment" of" the bar and lateral ad'- justinent o' the Kupright 152 A Spring; 18! is -coniieetedbetweenthe .upper edge, of thereflectorA 8* and oneV off the ineinbers 5 ci thewframeiwhiclifwilltend to retain p may be,v turned to the;

fill

the socket ll ot the reliector against the horizontal bar 12, and a spring 19 is connected between one of the horizontal pivots 7 o't the rei'iector, or between the ring in which it is n'iounted adjacent this pivot, and one ot the bracltcts lll; or other part of the supporting :trame that will tend to retain the sorbet ot' the lamp against the upright 15.

A lguide 20 extends angularly downward lrom the upper end ot the upright l to the cross bar l2 adjacent the desired limit ot lateral movement ol the socket il. This guide 2O may be integral with and bent over Vtrom the upright but is preferably., as shown in the drawing, connected to the upright and the bar l2 that it may be laterally adjusted to var v the lateral range.

The object of this is that when botli lamps are depressed, as when meeting an approaching vehicle, it may be necessary to direct the lamp which is nearer the roadside, to the side oit the road, but as the lamp, when so directed, should be raised to its normal elevation to illunie the road further ahead than the depressed position allows. Thus when the depressed lamp is turned outward the socket of the outwardly turned lamp engages the guide 2O and slides down it to the leveloil the normal elevation on the bar 12.

These light directingmovements may be operated 'troni the instrument board ot the vehicle in any convenient manner, either electrically7 or mechanically. ln the drawings herewith they are shown as being mechanically eiiected by steel wires conducted in small tubes to the instrument board.

Depressing movement of the reiiector S is elected by a wire 2l which is connected to the lower edge ot the reflector S of each lamp and the two wires are conducted in small flexible tubes to the instrument board where they are connected together to a plunger 22 movable in a socket 23. The stem ot this plunger has notches toengage the end ot' the spring 2li that will retain the stem in any desired position ot movement, but will override the notches when sutlicient pressure is applied. V j

Lateral movement ot each headlight is effected by a similar wire 25 connected to the ring` 6 ot each lamp adjacent one ot its pivots fl and to the stem ot a plunger' 26, or 2'? disposedone on each side of the depressing plunger 22. Thus the lampbeams may be depressed together and that of either lamp may be laterally turned youtward.

The glass lens of the lamp has a conical border to project the face of the lens beyond the 't'orward edge ot the lamp casing 2, which has an inwardly anged retaining edge. The lens is preferably inserted from the back of the casing 2 be- .tore the supporting 'trame 3, t, 5 ot the reflector and lamp is. introduced and the back 31 is in two halves that the electrical connections of the lamp need not be broken if it is required to remove the lamp from the casing.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare that what l claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

l. A dirigible headlight, comprising` in combination, an outer casing, a ring trame removably secured within the casing, a ring concentrically supported within the front ring of the trame to be movable about a vertical axis, a reflector mounted within the inner concentric ring to be movable about a horizontal axis, said reflector having a lamp socket projecting rearwardly Jfrom it, a horizontal bar attached to the ring frame across the rear of the reflector with provision tor vertical and horizontal adjustment in its attachment to the frame, said bar having an upright about its middle, the bar and its upright adapted to engage the lamp socket and support the reflector in its normal position of vertical and lateral adjustment, springs normally holding the socket in contact with the bar and its upright, a guide member extending angularly from the upper end ot the upright to the horizontal bar, means connected to the reflector and operable `from the instrument board of the vehicle for directing the light beam down ward on the road and similar means connected to the ring within which the reflector' is mounted tor directing the light beam angularly to one side of the road.

2. A dirigible headlight, comprising in combination, an outer casing, a ring pivotally mounted within one end to move about a vertical axis, a reector having at its center a socket for the lamp, said reflector mounted within said ring to be movable about a horizontal axis, means for engaging the lamp socket for limiting the movements of the reflector and oi' the ring in which it is mounted, means 'for separately operating the two movements from the instrument board ol the vehicle and means whereby the position of the said socket engaging means may be adjusted vertically or laterally or both vertically and laterally, and said movement limiting means including a horizontal upward movement limiting bar and lateral movement limiting bars for preventing movement in one direction beyond the normal position while permitting a degree of movement in the remaining direction only.

3. A dirigible headlight, comprising in combination, an outer casing, a ring frame relnovably secured within the casing, a ring concentrically supported within the front ring ot the iframe to be movable about a vertical axis, a reflector mounted within the inner concentric ring to be mounted about a horizontal axis, said reflector having a rearward projection, a horizontal bar attached to the ring frame across the rear of the reflector with provision for vertical and horizontal adjustment in its attachment to the frame, said bar having` an upright about its middle, the bar and its upright adapted to engage the rearward projection and .support the reflector in 4its normal position of Vertical and lateral adjustment, springs normally holding the rearward projection in Contact with the bar and its upright, a guide member extending angularly from the upper end of the upright to the horizontal bar, means connected to the reiiector and operable from the instrument board of the Vehicle for directing the light beam downwardly on the road, and similar means connected to the ring within which the reiector is mounted for directing the light beam angularly to one side of the road.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HUGH MGBRIDE. 

